It happens more often than most people realize. A driver mistakes the gas for the brake, loses control at an intersection, or simply isn’t paying attention—and suddenly a vehicle is inside a storefront.
According to the Storefront Safety Council, a car crashes into a commercial building somewhere in the United States nearly 60 times a day. Those crashes injure roughly 16,000 people and kill hundreds more every year.
A Perilous Prospect
If you’re inside a business when a car crashes into it—shopping, dining, or just walking in—the injuries can be catastrophic. Unlike a typical car accident, you have no seatbelt, no airbag, no steel frame between you and the vehicle. The physical and financial consequences can follow you for years. Victims are frequently:
- Pinned against walls or fixtures by the vehicle
- Thrown through plate glass windows
- Crushed between the car and a fixed structure
- Struck by debris, shelving, or collapsing building materials
Who’s Responsible?
The instinct is to assume the driver is solely at fault—and often, they are. A negligent driver who loses control of their vehicle and plows into a building can be held liable for every injury that results. But in many of these cases, the driver isn’t the only responsible party.
Business owners and property managers have a legal duty to keep their premises reasonably safe for customers. When a storefront crash is foreseeable—and given how frequently they occur, it often is—that duty can extend to taking reasonable protective measures. Parties who may share liability include:
- The negligent driver who lost control of the vehicle
- The business owner or property manager who failed to install protective barriers
- An employer, if the driver was operating the vehicle in the course of their job
- A vehicle owner who negligently lent their car to an unfit driver
What You Should Do
If you’re injured in a storefront crash, seek medical attention immediately and document everything you can—photos of the scene, the vehicle, the damage, and your injuries. Get witness contact information before people leave. These cases often involve multiple insurance policies and competing claims, and the evidence gathered in the immediate aftermath can make or break what comes next.
The Law Offices of Tim Misny can help you with your accident claim. When a negligent driver—or a business that failed to protect you—leaves you seriously injured, I’ll Make Them Pay!® Call my office at (877) 944-4373 so I can evaluate your case right away.
